The Siege (Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series #4)

by Kathryn Lasky

Overview

Tensions Erupt in the owl kingdom when the forces of evil wage war against the protectors of good. Enraged by his clash with Soren and driven by an all-consuming desire for power, Kludd and his group, the Pure Ones, launch an attack upon the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. The noble owls who live there must fight fiercely to protect their resources and defend their honor. Meanwhile, Soren is called upon by the elders of the great tree to lead a mission back to the one place he thought he'd never see again -- St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. He and his crew will have to enter St. Aggie's as spies, then leave unnoticed once their work is done. Soren escaped the rocky confines of St. Aggie's once. If peace is to be restored, he must do it again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756930431
Publisher:	Scholastic HRDerbacks
Publication date:	05/28/2004
Series:	Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	356,284
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Lasky is the Newbery Honor-winning author of over one hundred books for children and young adults. Her beloved Guardians of Ga’Hoole fantasy series has sold more than 4 million copies, and she is the author of the Daughters of the Sea series, the Wolves of the Beyond series, as well as A TIME FOR COURAGE and other Dear America titles. Kathryn has also written a number of critically acclaimed nonfiction titles, such as BEYOND THE BURNING TIME and TRUE NORTH. She lives with her husband in Cambridge, MA.

Table of Contents

Editorial Reviews

Fantasy lovers will enjoy the action in this fourth title in the "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series. In this novel, Soren and his friends are sent on a mission to the orphanage of St. Aggie's, the same place Soren and Gylfie had escaped from in a previous novel. The orphanage serves as a slave labor camp where kidnapped owlets are used to mine dangerous "flecks." The reason for the task is the Guardians' suspicion that members of the Pure Ones have also infiltrated St. Aggie's. They believe the Pure Ones' are attempting to discover more about how the flecks work, in order to disrupt other owls' mind and flight capabilities. The complex storyline interweaves episodes of battle and adventure with lighter moments, while highlighting the devastating effects of prejudice and censorship. Because Lasky instantly immerses the reader into a fully-realized fantasy world, new readers of the series may find the dizzying shift in vocabulary and numerous prior-plot references difficult to grasp. However, once the reader gains an understanding of the intricacies of owl life, the novel offers an enthralling science fantasy, which takes full advantage of the author's vast knowledge regarding the different species of owls. Her semi-scientific speculation on the effects of magnetism on an owl's sense of direction adds authenticity and depth to the fantasy. Other than the occasional vocabulary problem, the story is easily readable, and the fast-paced action will leave fantasy lovers clamoring for more. 2004, Scholastic Inc, Ages 8 to 12.
—Laura Ruttig

Children's Literature